Swallow nest box at Lost Lagoon, quite rightly occupied by a tree swallow

Daughter A is a volunteer Nest Box Monitor for the Stanley Park Ecology Society. She goes around the park once a week, observing activity and reporting the data. Usually she runs, but last weekend she turned it into a walk and we joined her, binoculars, camera and Peterson guide in hand.

Husband and I took transit to Waterfront Station and walked 2 km from there to Stanley Park where we met up with A, who lives in downtown .

Moving along the path around Lost Lagoon, we came across one of our usual friends. My husband LOVES raccoons. We have about 7999 photos of raccoons. One day he is going to be regret getting so close.

There were several Great Blue Herons.

Great Blue Heron being a bully on a Wood Duck box

Beaver Lake looked a lot like, well, a beaver lake. Lots of trees with gnaw marks on the trunks, and some trees fallen. There was a dam in the middle of the lake.

Beaver Lake. See the gnaw marks on the fallen tree.

Bald mallard duck

On one of her weekly excursions, A. passed by when a homeless guy  human resident of the park was explaining to other nest box monitors that he had been observing this bald mallard duck for quite a while. Apparently it seemed able to forage for food without trouble. It is quite odd because the black ring at the top of its beak is there, but the green head covering isn’t.

The last stop was the mason bee colony and late spring flowers.